Help from Turkey, Spain arrives in Balikpapan for Palu earthquake victims

N. Adri

The Jakarta Post

Balikpapan, East Kalimantan /
Thu, October 11, 2018 / 10:42 am

Indian air force and medic personnel pose for a photograph at Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Oct. 3. They were on their way to Palu, Central Sulawesi. (Courtesy of Consulate General of India to Sumatra/-)

Foreign aid has continued to arrive for victims of the Central Sulawesi earthquakes and tsunami, with the latest supplies from Turkey and Spain arriving on Wednesday at Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, about a one hour flight from disaster-hit Palu.

An airport staff member working in Hangar C, where the aid is located, confirmed that on Tuesday and Wednesday, aid from Turkey and Spain had arrived.

The Spanish International Cooperation for Development, AECID, said on its website, aecid.es, that Spain was sending 255 tents, enough to accommodate 1,275 people. The aid, worth 265,000 euros, was transported using an Antonov 12 aircraft from Spain. It is scheduled to arrive in Palu on Thursday.

Spain has allocated 200,000 euros through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and 100,000 through non-governmental organization Save the Children.

On Tuesday, the aid from Turkey arrived in Balikpapan. The Turkish air force brought the relief aid in two Hercules C-130 planes comprising 1,000 sleeping bags and 250 tents. Turkish Red Crescent personnel accompanied the aid.

"I hope we can ease the pain of our brothers and sisters here," Ali Akgul, the director of disaster mitigation at Red Crescent of Turkey said in Palu as quoted in a statement.

The Indonesian government has announced that more than 2,000 people have died because of the earthquakes and the subsequent tsunami and soil liquefaction in the province. (evi)